


life changes, but we never will

by jayeinacross



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: F/M, Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 17:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/664811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayeinacross/pseuds/jayeinacross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a prompt on the kink meme: Anders didn't sleep with Valerie because he wanted to protect Mike, he didn't even do it because he liked her, he did it because he was jealous of the woman stealing his big brother away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	life changes, but we never will

Anders does it for Mike.

He’s high on the knowledge that he’s a god, like he can still feel the lightning in his bones, sparks dancing on his skin, electricity in his blood. Words slide off his tongue like honey, sweet and smooth, and it’s just so easy, so natural.

Mike’s blind to what’s happening, to why he’s really with Valerie – it’s guilt and loneliness, plain and simple, but they’ve both fooled themselves into thinking that it’s something more. That it really is love, that they’re not both just replacements for Rob, a comfort from losing him.

He does it for Mike.

This is who Anders is, who he was born to be. There’s no guilt or shame or fear in embracing what power he does have, but Mike just doesn’t see it. Too afraid of what might happen, Mike pushes it all back, and tries to push Anders back as well, but he won’t have any of that.

Valerie resists a little, whether because of Mike or Rob, Anders doesn’t know – and he half puts it down to his own inexperience with his powers anyway – but she does give in, and that’s all that matters. She’s distraught over what she’s done; Valerie is a good person. Mike forgives her, and Anders despises her. Valerie’s taken him away, but she’s not what Mike needs. Anders knows what Mike needs.

Anders did it for Mike. Everything about Rob and Valerie weighs Mike down, holds him back, and Anders will stand by that. But Mike is stubborn and Anders is fairly transparent, because when he wants something, he makes that known.

“You’re not welcome in this house,” Mike tells him when Anders shows up the next day when Valerie’s out, and tries to shut the door in his face. “Not after what you’ve done.”

Anders pushes past him into the hallway. “It was for your own good, don’t you see that?” 

“I’ve only put up with you for this long because I had a responsibility,” Mike snarls. “Now you can get the hell out of my life.”

“I think we both know that’s the last thing you want, Mike.” Anders stalks closer to him, crowding him up against the wall, meeting Mike’s furious stare easily. “I was just trying to protect you. She’s not with you because she loves you, Mike.”

“You can’t manipulate me, Anders. Your _poetry_ isn’t going to work on me, so just shut up and get out.” Mike tries to push him away, but Anders just grabs a fistful of Mike’s shirt and pulls him down into a brief, rough kiss. His lip spits on the edge of Mike’s teeth and his head thumps painfully against the opposite wall of the narrow hallway when Mike shoves him hard.

“What the fuck are you doing?” 

Anders licks away the blood on his lip and he grins, infuriatingly smug. “But that’s just the thing, isn’t it? I can’t manipulate you, so that means that you really do want this. It’s not anyone else. It’s just you.” He takes a step towards Mike again. “Stop trying to ignore it.”

Mike avoids Anders’ touch when he reaches out, and goes to the door, flinging it open and waiting. Anders goes, shaking his head, and he stops before he gets outside, taking a long moment to study his brother.

“This won’t fix anything, you know. You can’t bring Rob back,” Anders says, and Mike just slams the door closed.

Anders did it for Mike, and if Mike can’t see that, then that’s not Anders’ fault.

He stays away after that, visiting Ty and Axl but never Mike and Valerie. Anders won’t abandon his baby brothers, but he’ll leave Mike to his lie of a happy suburban life with Val. Then Axl turns twenty-one, and their lives change, and when Anders comes back, nothing about him and Mike has changed at all.

Anders is still self centred and selfish and when nobody else is watching, he still sends Mike those hungry, possessive looks, and Mike should have known that Anders wouldn’t change, because once he decides he wants something, he doesn’t let go. But Anders thinks he’s changed, at least a little. Now, he only does things for himself.

But then, maybe he always did.


End file.
